Nerd Rage!
by ShadowX6X
Summary: Takahashi Kai is an average kid. No I'm lying, there is no such thing as "average." He's a nerd, he's a coward and he's attending a nightmare of a junior high. Will he find the courage to befriend Akashiya Moka, the most bullied girl of the entire school?
1. Intro

_**Alright so I had a story previously but I realized it really sucked. So i decided to spice up the story and make it more interesting. Don't try to look for the story cuz i deleted it...**_

_**Well, watever, just relax and enjoy the fanfic. And another thing. I decided to add this because some people might get confused. This is how the school system works right now:**_

_**Middle school(or junor high): Grade Seven, Eight and Nine**_

_**High school:Grade Ten, Eleven and Twelve.**_

_**I'm pretty sure this is how it works in japan. But apparently in the states, its different so here it is to help you guys all understand. **_

Hello, my name is Takahashi Kai and I am 14 years old. Currently, I'm in the final year of middle school. It's been a a rough ride, but in a couple months I can finally graduate and become a high school student! I'm what many people would call a "nerd." I basically study all the time because I want to become a doctor when I grow up. But it's not as simple as it sounds. Becoming a doctor isn't easy. My family is going through financial troubles right now so I'm gonna have to make it there on scholarships. I'm using the term "financial troubles" but that's just another way of saying we're dirt poor. Because of that, I have to wear cheap thick lens glasses and cut my own hair.

I don't have time to make much progress on my social life either. I only got two friends who stuck by me, but they're nerds too so it doesn't mean much. Yeah, I keep telling myself it's going to get better when I actually make it. That when I'm a doctor, I'll think back on this and say, "It was worth it!"

But lately, I've been getting depressed.

I haven't been cutting myself or anything! But... I just don't know where I'm standing anymore.

Well... let's move onto bullies.

Do we have bullies at our school? Yeah, its rough here. I'm pretty sure everyone at this school is either a bully or bullied. Me? I fall into both catergories. Yeah, that's right. I bullied before. I was pressured into it but I still think back on the times when I totally ripped on other defenceless kids. I regret it, but what can I do?

I've been here for three stinking years and it never got better. But, let me tell you about the number one bullied person at this place.

Akashiya Moka. She has no friends whatsoever. I always thought it was a bit strange because she isn't ugly or anything. She's actually quite pretty with long flowing hair, and bright green eyes. Her grades are top notch and she's super athletic. She'd be perfect except... there's this weird feeling you get when you're around her. It made people back off at first but then they started to bully her. I remember her in Gr. 7, I was in her class for three years so I've seen her a lot. She was really cheerful, and she smiled all the time. But there was an incident early in the year that marked her the weirdo.

It was like any other day, sunshine, kids, golden leaves falling. I could feel winter coming. Morning classes were over and it was lunch time. Our school's food is lousy so we bring our own lunches and eat outside. Akashiya-san was with her group of friends while I was with Gono and Wari(two nerd friends that still stick with me today, but they don't have any other friends either). I was eating a bento my mom made.

Anyways we were sitting down beside a big oak tree, the other side of the girls, close enough to hear their conversation. And wouldn't you know it they were talking about the new vampire romance series that came out. I was honestly sick of that crap. I tried reading it to see what all the hype was about, but it was so gay I almost chucked in the trash. Good thing I remembered it was a library book. All the girls love it for some reason. I expected Akashiya-san to be all crazy about it too, but she surprised me.

"I don't really think the book was that great," she said sheepishly. The group was silent for a bit before their eyes slowly widened.

"Eh? You must be crazy Moka!" they yelled in unison.

"But, the author got her facts completely wrong!" Akashiya-san pouted, "a vampire's skin isn't that cold, and they don't have the ability to read minds or whatever else they did in the story. And vampires aren't immune to everything, they can get hurt too, and they certainly don't sparkle in the sun!"

There was silence.

"Uh Moka, calm down it's just a story," one of the girls finally said. "And besides, vampires aren't even real."

"Huh?" Akashiya-san stared at them all for a second before looking down at her food, "Oh. Yeah."

That's when I noticed something move. It might have been my imagination, but the silver cross on the choker she always wore seemed to have moved a bit. No one else seemed to have noticed it but I was sure it wasn't my imagination.

From that day on, people noticed something off about her. Whenever she tried to talk to someone, they would awkwardly smile and back off. Bit by bit, throughout the year, she lost her smile.

Grade Seven, no one talked to her. Grade Eight, someone confessed to her. His name was Kudo Ryo. He was a good looking dude, the kind who can easily make a whole bunch of friends without trying. I accidentally overheard the confession outside behind the school.

"Hi there, Akashiya," Kudo said with a confident grin, thinking it was impossible for him to get turned down, "I've noticed you're alone a lot, and everyone says it's because you're weird and all but... I think you're beautiful."

Akashiya looked away blushing. She was up against the wall now, his arm was over her and he was drawing closer.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?"

He was about to kiss her, but she screamed.

"NO!" Akashiya-san pushed him away and he flew. He actually flew. That girl has unbelievable strength, Kudo ended up ten feet away from her. After recovering from the shock, he spotted Akashiya-san looking at him like she was about to burst into tears.

"You monster!" he yelled and ran away. Akashiya-san broke down crying on the spot. I was shocked. Everything seemed so unreal. And she seemed so sad... I walked up to her without realizing it.

She looked up and I was entranced. I just couldn't look away.j Her face was wet from crying and she was hicupping.

I automatically pulled out the hanker chief I had in my pocket, and gave it to her.

She was hesitant, I couldn't blame her. Everyone had ignored her till now.

But she took my hanker chief and dried her tears.

"Thank you Takahashi-san," and then she... smiled. I hadn't seen her smile for a long time. So long, that I had forgotten it. But she looked so much better smiling. Her face was almost glowing.

"Uh, you can keep the hanker chief," I mumbled. I felt shy all of a sudden. I had to curse my poor social skills at that moment. Before she could say anything, I ran away. Yes, yes! I AM A COWARD. I know that but I really didn't want to screw anything up at that moment. Although running away may have killed any chances I had of befriending her.

Next day, rumours spread like fire through the school. That bastard who confessed to Akashiya-san had made up a whole bunch of ridiculous lies that made her the target for bullying. By the end of the day, everyone but me thought Akashiya-san was a lyer, cheater, scammer, slut, alcoholic, and on drugs.

No one wanted to be seen with her from that day on. Their rep would fall and they would be targeted for bullying too if they did. I stayed away from her too. My life sucked already, I didn't want it to get worse. I thought it was lucky that she didn't acknowledge me or try to say hi to me. But in Grade Nine, I realized what a worthless piece of shit I really was.

This is the present now. The blast from the past is over now so you can just turn your heads back over here. So like I said before, I'm in Grade Nine now. The year is half over and this is when my relationship with Akayashi-san starts to progress. You see, she was being bullied at the bus stop again. The teachers also believed the stupid rumors and they completely ignored the bullying. But lately, people were getting rougher.

"Hey, you won't mind if do this right?" One of the guys felt her up before passing her to his buddy.

"Wow, your pretty well built aren't you?" the other guy sneered. Akashiya-san whimpered as she started crying. The red jewel on her cross glowed eerily.

"Hey, aren't you use to this? Why the hell are you crying? You want money or something?"

Ok, I'm a coward. But, this was WAY too much. I haven't seen anyone go this far in bullying her. Guys push her around, and the girls tend to pull her hair and pinch her a lot, but this was sexual harassment!

I lost it. I rushed over there and punched the guy who groped her. It was like everything was in slow motion. I saw the other guy pause with a look of shock before he snarled and launched a punch at me. Now, I'm really weak. On top of that, these guys are delinquents who are experienced in fighting. What do you think happened?

I almost killed them.


	2. Lose Control

I don't understand what happened. Maybe I got some random boost of adrenaline? Perhaps I was letting lose all the stress and guilt I felt for the past three years. Whatever happened, it was really, really messed upped.

I was seeing everything slow down, one guy was already knocked out on the ground, and the other was trying to punch me. First, I knocked aside his fist, then I did a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. He flew and crashed head first into the bus stop pole. I could feel everyone's eyes burning at me, but I really didn't care at the moment. I was seething in anger. I wanted to rip these guys head off. The image of Akashiya-san getting groped kept replaying in my mind. I thought I was going crazy.

I jumped back to the guy who had touched Akashiya-san. He was still unconscious, but I grabbed him by the collar and slapped him till he woke up.

"Agh..." he groaned. He looked dazed, but I wasn't finished with this bastard. I punched him hard in the face.

"AH!" he screamed in pain. I busted his nose for sure, it was bleeding heavily and he was crying.

I dragged him by his hair and forced him onto his knees in front of Akayashi-san.

"Apologize!" I kicked him.

"I-I'm so sorry!" he sobbed to Akashiya-san. He was crying, holding his blood drenched nose.

I kicked the other guy over and stomped on his fingers. He woke up screaming.

"Apologize to Akayashi-san!" I spat at him.

"No! Wait Takahashi-san!" Akashiya-san pleaded, she was crying too. Why was she crying? These bastards deserved every bit of this.

"They need to learn their lesson Akashiya-san!" I felt my eyes starting to water too. I was tired of watching her be hurt. I've been feeling guilty for too long.

"Stop this!" teachers started running out waving their arms. It would all be over if they got here.

I had to get this over with.

I lifted him by his collar.

"This is the last time I will say this. Apologize. Now."

"No, you freak!" He punched my face with all his strength. His fist hit the left lens of my glasses. It broke in and the glass shattered into my eye.

It hurt. I never experienced so much pain at once. I could feel the glass digging in my eye. I kneed him in the stomach as hard as I could and then dropped him. I took off the useless frames. I could feel blood drip down my face, I think that I was able to close my left eye before too many chunks of glasses got in but it still hurt.

I started feeling dizzy. Everything was red.

People were screaming. I felt a heavy blow on the back of my head. Crap. I had forgotten about his buddy. I fell down but someone caught me. My consciousness was slipping away. Last thing I saw was that silver cross on Akashiya-san's choker glow red.

"He's a psycho!" a woman's voice yelling woke me up.

"Please be quiet, he's resting," another softer voice pleaded.

I kept my eyes closed, confused for a moment. My left eye ached, and I was reminded of what happened. I couldn't believe what I did. The scary thing was... I sort of enjoyed it. I was finally able to do something for Akashiya-san. Although she probably hates me now. I really wanted to have the ability to go back in time so I could help her sooner.

I felt tired, and my entire body hurt. I tried to open my left eye, but it didn't even respond. I couldn't feel anything. It just felt numb.

Hahaha... I lost my left eye. Wow. My depth perception was really going to be screwed up now. Was losing my eye worth it?

I opened my other eye and grimaced to see I was in a hospital bed. Another problem. How will my family be able to afford this? I saw a two older woman and Akashiya-san in front of me. When they saw that I was awake, one of the older woman's face contorted with so much rage it scared me.

"You bastard!" one of the older woman launched at me trying to strangle me.

"Please stop!" Akashiya-san stopped her somehow before she did any real damage. I sighed with relief and anxiety, these were probably the mothers of those two kids.

"You broke my son's nose!" she yelled.

"I'm sorry." I looked down, not wanting to meet the mother's eyes. As much as I had enjoyed breaking in that guy's face, I had hurt someone. His family must've been worried and I could have destroyed his face for good. Who knows, maybe I really did.

"My poor, precious child! You're apologies can't bring back his handsome face!" The mother sobbed.

Poor? Precious? Yeah right! I still remember him touching Akashiya-san's... chest!

"You're son is a freaking molester!" I blurted. My voice was weak and hoarse but the message got through.

"W-what?" the mom seemed speechless. Obviously, she wasn't told this detail. "My son is not a molester! He is a sweet innocent boy!"

"Oh my god! Ask the witnesses then!" My regret was disappearing and instead I was getting pissed. That guy was not in any way innocent.

Without a word, she stormed out of the room. The other mom looked at me.

"My son's fingers are broken." she said calmly.

"I'm sorry."

"Your left eye is gone thanks to him. I won't press any charges and we shall consider this even." she too, walked out of the door.

I felt sick. The impact of what I did hit me. I never hurt anyone so brutally before and I bet Akashiya-san thinks that I'm a monster now.

"Takahashi-san?" Akashiya-san's voice was quiet and soft. It didn't sound like she hated me. A glint of hope shined for me. I had to take charge and take it.

"Before you say anything Akashiya-san, I'd like to apologize. I went crazy back there and I made the situation even worse. Please forgive me." I left the bed and bowed, my forehead touching the ground.

Please forgive me, please forgive me, please forgive me... I didn't want her to hate me!

"Please wait, Takahashi-san. I... I wanted to thank you," she said as she pulled me up to my feet.

"What?" I was confused. She was practically crying her eyes out back then, trying to stop me and now she was thanking me? Did girls usually have such random mood swings?  
"I can't say that I was happy that you hurt those two, but you saved me again Takahashi-san." Akashiya-san smiled. Her smile was slightly sad and my heart felt heavy.

"I don't understand." I really didn't. When did I save her before? I only talked to her that time when she crying.

"If you hadn't gave me that hanker chief when Kudo called me a monster... I don't know what would have done," Akashiya-san helped me get back into my bed.

"But that's all I did. I watched you get bullied. I let the rumours happen. I didn't say anything when you were hurt over and over again!" With every word I said, I felt lower. I could almost hear the dramatic music playing. But now that I think about it, Akashiya-san had been really strong. I only saw her cry those two times.

"I'm glad you didn't help me Takahashi-san."

Say what? That doesn't make any sense, did she enjoy getting bullied?

"If you got picked on too then I..." Akashiya-san looked away.

She was thinking of me. So that was why she never tried to say hello or acknowledge me. She was worried that I would become a victim too. My stomach hurt. All this time, I had actually been glad she didn't do those things. But now... now it just made me feel like crap.

"Akashiya-san, thank you for caring so much," I gritted my teeth, "It may be a little late, but can you please let me help?"

"You can't Takahashi-san. I can't let you. You'll lose your friends and I'm not worth helping. Kudo was right Takahashi-san. I am a monster." Akashiya-san stood up. "I shouldn't stay here."

"Hey, wait!"

It was too late. She had ran out the door.

Dang it.

I wanted to go chase her. I really did, but I tend to think too much. The other day was pure instinct. I barely thought about anything.

While I was in the middle of organizing my thoughts the door slam opened and my family came in.

Time for introductions. My dad is Takahashi Kaido, and my mom is Takahashi Amaya. Yeah, I was pretty much named after my dad.

Both of them work to pay the rent of the cramped apartment room we live in. My dad work's at a construction place while my mom has a job at a grocery store. They both work pretty hard, but hard work alone doesn't get you anywhere. You need some luck too and we got the worse luck around.

My little sis is Takahashi Jun. She is twelve years old and she's pretty mature for her age. It creeps me out sometimes. She always shares everything with me, and I can never hate her.

"Uh, hey," I waved at them awkwardly.

"How are you feeling Kai?" my mom asked worriedly.

"Oh I feel great," I tried to sound like I had tons of energy but Akashiya-san running out seemed to have drained the last of my energy.

"Oh... that's great son," my dad smiled but his eyes told a different story.

"Do you want me to get you anything Oniichan?" Jun asked timidly.

"Yeah, can you get me some water? I'm feeling thirsty." It was true, I was parched.

As soon Jun was gone, I started questioning my parents.

"How long have I been here?"

"Two days."

"Is my eye gone forever?"

"There's still a chance that it can heal. Just don't try to open your eye."

"..."

"Mom, dad?"

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"Kai... We have to talk to you about something," My dad pulled up another chair and sat down. My mom sat in the chair Akashiya-san was sitting in earlier.

My dad let out a long sigh. "Kai, we have something important to tell you. We told Jun and she took it very well. We hope you will too."

"Alright, I'm ready."

"You were adopted."

"...what?"


	3. Let's Move On

"Wait a second... You're telling me you guys aren't my real parents?" I was in shock. They were playing a joke on me right?

"Kai, we may not be your parents by blood, but we are a family nonetheless," my mom explained, her eyes didn't leave me for a second. Like she thought I was going to disappear any second.

"But, this doesn't make any sense!" I felt like something was wrong. Like a beat in my favourite song was missing.

"Kai, we're sorry but this is the truth," Dad frowned. At this point I felt so confused that my head hurt.

"But why are you telling me now?" I was afraid of the answer. My parents looked at each other nervously.

"Because of us," Two strangers stepped into the room. The man was very tall, and he was wearing an expensive silk suit. The other stranger was a pale woman with long, soft black hair. She was wearing a tight red dress that complimented her curves. They both looked like movie stars. I felt an unfamiliar wave of nostalgia from them.

"Who are you?" My tone was rude, but that was on purpose. These people had barged in like they owned the place.

"Don't be rude Kai, these nice people payed your hospital bills," Mom tried to take my hand but I pulled away. I wasn't a little kid.

"Would you like to sit down?" My parents stood up offering their seats.

"Ah that's fine," the tall man smiled, "We just want a quick talk with him alone."

"Oh of course." Mom and Dad rushed out of the room flustered.

"So Kai, I am an impatient man. So I'll get straight to the point. We are your biological parents," the tall man smiled again. I wasn't that surprised. It explained my parents odd behaviour around them and how the woman looked so similar Jun.

"So?" I bitterly spat at them, "You were never there. Just looking at you I can tell you're stinking rich. Didn't it ever occur to you help out a little?"

They just stood there, their expressions unchanging. Their smug little smiles still in place. This pissed me off more than anything.

"Don't smile at me! You haven't even earned the right to call me by my first name!" Everything was starting to tick me off. With every little detail, I felt my anger rise continuously.

"I know you hate us. Right now we're just strangers to you. We'll answer all your questions just calm down," the woman had spoke for the first time. Her voice sounded softer than I had imagined. My anger disappeared in a instant.

"Who are you? And don't tell me your my pare-"

"I am Ryuu Raidon, and this is my wife, Gina," Raidon answered swiftly, "I am the current head of the Ryuu Group and multiple dojos. I indeed possess a large amount of money and I haven't given your family any help simply because I didn't feel like it."

"What kind of reason is that?" This guy couldn't be my father. I hated him so much right now I wanted to rip out his eyes! I paused for a second. Where was all this rage coming from? I didn't have these kinds of thoughts before.

"You should have better control on your anger." Raidon smirked. Did he know what I was thinking? That smile just then made me feel like he did.

"Alright. Why are you helping us now?"

"Because we will be taking you and your sister with us," Raidon shrugged.

"WHAT!" I stood up so abruptly that my head throbbed in pain from the sudden movement. This was crazy. They were gonna take us just like that? They came here like they were going to pick up a package!

"I got already have mom and dad and they are not you!" I shouted as loud as I could, seething.

"Please calm down Kai," Gina's voice calmed me down once again and I found myself sitting down. What was up with that? It's like I was hypnotized or something.

"As I was saying, we will be taking you off Kaido and Amaya's hands. Starting from today, we are your real parents," Raidon repeated. As you may have noticed I have been calling these people by their first names. That is obviously because I am trying to disrespect them and make a point in saying they aren't my parents. Yet this guy is saying they were our parents and he was going to take me and Jun away from our real parents? He had to kidding me!

"No way!" My hands balled up into fists, "What the heck is your deal? I don't get you people at all. Why are you just doing this?"

"I'm sure you're confused Kai," Gina placed her hands on my shoulders, "We left you in the hands of Kaido and Amaya because we were had to go somewhere where we couldn't take you. We had left a large sum of money with you but... Kaido had gambled away all the money."

I was speechless. Dad had gambled? He always hated gambling, he told us to never gamble and... Oh my gosh, I'm so stupid.

"I'm sorry for my husband's stupid half truthful explanation," Gina sighed, "It may have confused you."

"C'mon Gina, it wasn't that bad," Raidon chuckled.

"Yes it was. You were just trying to make him mad. Don't talk anymore dear," Gina's expression turned cold and I could see Raidon looking nervous all of a sudden.

"We will be taking care of you and Jun as well as we can," Gina smiled back at me.

"No, I don't wanna go with you," It came out a lot softer than I hoped. Gina's voice was weakening me somehow. I felt my drowsiness grow so naturally, I didn't even notice it till now.

"Don't say that, we'll make up for all the years we missed..."

I don't even remember falling asleep. But I do remember the dream I had. It was so vivid, I still can't believe it wasn't real.

I was in the centre of a sea of grass. The grass was black from the shadows and reached up to my waist. A cool breeze lightly blew against my face, and the moon was the fullest I had ever seen it. I was alone. It was silent. Suddenly I felt scared. Like there was a predator was lurking around, ready to pounce. Everything turned red. The moon had switched its colours. I couldn't move, I was petrified at what would happen next. My left eye suddenly felt inflamed. It was burning, like knives were continuously grinding at it. I screamed out from the pain, but then it stopped as soon as it came. Confusion warped at me. I tried pinching myself, but nothing happened other than the annoying pang of pain.

Then a human shaped figure rose from the grass in front of me. I could tell that it was a girl from her... body. A wave of nostalgia hit me. She seemed so familiar, yet I felt like we were meeting for the first time.

"Humans are scum." Her voice was silky and mature. I suddenly felt like a little kid. My legs lost their strength and I fell to my knees.

"Know your place!" A sudden gust of wind blew her hair against the moon. Even with the red, I could tell her hair was silver. I looked her straight in the eyes and realized that her irises were redder than the light around us.

I wanted to speak yet my voice was gone. I reached out for her but suddenly she was gone and in my hand was Akashiya-san's silver cross.

I woke up, cold and sweaty in my hospital bed. I sighed, turned over and went back to sleep.

Yeah, it was freaky. Weirdest dream I had ever had. But wasn't real. Right?


	4. Change

The next morning I was discharged. My left eye and my head were in bandages(I had received a minor concussion when that guy had hit me in the back of my head with some branch). I had a few annoying cuts and bruises on my body but other than that, I was fine. My lame broken glasses were replaced with new stylish frame less ones that Gina had presented to me as a gift. Secretly, I was thankful but I refused to be bought over.

"Get ready because we're going to be spoiling you now," Gina winked.

I scowled. I didn't want to be spoiled like I was some celebrity's puppy. And there was another thing that was really bugging me.

Now you may or may not remember Jun who offered to get some water for me. She never came back.

That's right. She never came back. What happened? She ran away.

My cute, mature little sister had ran away.

She left a note behind saying she was going to go take a breather but no has seen her since, other than the receptionist who saw her leave the hospital.

I was wracked with worry. For my sister, for Moka, and for myself. My left eye was gone for a while, maybe forever. It's hard to live with. The doctor had ran some tests with me to see how off my sight was. I had a whole new experience as I missed objects completely as I reached to grab them. The doctor said I'd get used to it after a while but I'm still worrying. Was life this easily ruined?

Raidon and Gina were too suspicious. I can't bring myself to trust them. They said they had people looking for Jun but who knew if they were telling the truth? They hadn't even let me say goodbye to my REAL parents.

On top of all that I found out that I was suspended from school for an entire month. Raidon made sure I wasn't expelled by bribing the principal and the board chairman.

I'm lucky I wasn't expelled but a month is a long time. During that time, I was supposed to go to anger management classes so an incident like that didn't happen again. But what about Akashiya-san? I really did want to help her you know. I had planned to go to school and hang out with her but with these new events, that would have to be pushed back. I can't help but worry about her. She never fights back and she's too breakable.

Right now I was in Raidon and Gina's Porsche. They were taking me to get a haircut before we went to their home.

I didn't talk to them. I didn't smile at them. I didn't even look at them. I was rebelling. I would do something more extreme but they were my only hope of finding Jun.

I just wanted to run away too.

"Hey, we're here," Raidon said as we stopped in front of a simple barbershop.

I got out of the car without a word.

"But really Kai, how did you live with that hair till now?" Gina asked incredulously, "It's so long and tangled."

I stayed quiet and didn't answer. I couldn't trust myself to.

Raidon held the door open for Gina and me. The first thing that caught my attention was the unbelievably tall woman sitting behind the counter, reading a magazine. As soon as she saw us, she jumped to her feet and screamed in delight.

"Gina! Raidon! It's been too long!"

It would have been a happy reunion if she wasn't so creepy. She was at least seven feet tall and her blond hair reached to her waist. She had long arms and legs that looked so thin that I felt like I could break them like twigs. Even her nails were long, and razor sharp.

After my she and my parents exchanged greetings, she turned her attention to me.

Her eyes seemed to pierced through me. I stood rooted to the floor.

"So this is your son?" she pointed at me with an amused smile.

"Yeah, we just got him back today. Can you give him a haircut? He's looking pretty shabby," Raidon chuckled.

"Oh I don't know about that, he looks a kinda cute," she took a closer look at me, "So young..."

"Don't even think about it Ko-chan," Gina piped.

"Yes, yes, I know," she scowled. She pushed me toward one of the seats.

"Sit down, I'll give you the best haircut of your life," she smirked.

I sat down obediently and took off my glasses. She scared me. She kept looking at me hungrily, like she wanted to... eat me.

"These bandages are in the way, mind if I take them off?" she asked.

I shook my head. She started humming as she unwrapped the bandages from my head. Her voice was surprisingly sweet and I felt calmer than before. She took off the bandages from my eye too. I kept it closed but an uneasy feeling was starting to creep up on me.

"Three, two, one..."

I instinctively closed my eyes.

All of a sudden a felt wind at the back of my head. I was sorely tempted to turn around but I felt that if I made any sudden movements, something bad would happen. After what seemed like forever, the wind stopped.

"Oh yeah... I'm good," she proudly declared. I opened my eyes. Usually I had a lot of hair poking my eyes, but it was gone.

"Oooh, good job Ko-chan," Gina praised. My head felt so light, like a heavy burden was lifted.

"What can I say, I'm just talented," Ko bragged.

I looked around, and saw my hair in a neat pile to my left. This lady has skills, there wasn't a single hair on me.

"Ah, that's what my son should look like," Raidon laughed.

I really wanted to check if I wasn't bald. I touched my head tentatively. I could easily run my hand through it. My tangled, messy hair was gone!

"You probably want to see how handsome you are right?" Ko handed me a mirror. "Here ya go."

I put on my glasses and I was so shocked I almost opened my left eye. I couldn't recognize myself. It was like the reflection was a stranger. I could clearly see my eyes, and my hair was clean, straight and shorter.

This wasn't right, I actually looked okay.

"So are you guys going to send him to Youkai Academy?" Ko asked curiously turning to Gina.

"Hm, probably, but.." Gina leaned forward to whisper something into Ko's ear. Ko bent down to listen.

Her eyes slowly opened.

"Ehh? He doesn't even know?" she yelled.

Know? Know what? I knew it. They were keeping secrets. I never heard about Youkai Academy before but the name gave me the creeps.

Raidon cleared his throat. Now that you got your haircut, let me give you this," He pulled out a box wrapped in bright green paper.

"Open it," Raidon, Gina and Ko eagerly watched me.

I ripped off the wrapping paper and the box but...

"Oh, so stylish!" Ko gasped.

"Hehe, took a while to pick that one. There were too many choices. We decided to go with the traditional black," Raidon grinned.

"Er, thank you," I needed to be polite and control myself. This thing was going to make me look like a pirate...

It was a freaking black eye patch.

I'm not trying to be ungrateful or anything but seriously, what the heck is this?

"Aren't you going to try it on?" Gina smiled. I laughed nervously as I took it out of the box and tried to put it on.

"Let me help," Gina fixed it onto my eye.

"Wow!" Ko clapped her hands together. "He's going to be a real heart throb!"

I put on my glasses and looked at the mirror. I silently sobbed. I looked so dang scary now even with my glasses... Like a delinquent.

"Oh, look at the time," Gina gasped as she looked at her watch, "We still have to show Kai our house."

"Come back soon! For you, free haircuts anytime!" Ko slyly grinned.

"Thank you Ko-chan!" Gina and Raidon waved as we left the shop. My head felt so weird when a breeze came by. It was so cold.

"Oh my son is so cute!" Gina giggled as she hugged me so hard she was choking me.

"I'm not your son!" I pulled away angrily, "The only reason I agreed to go with you people was because you promised to give my real mom and dad money! I didn't even get to say good bye to them!"

For the first time I saw Raidon and Gina look downcast.

Then I saw something from the corner of my eye. It couldn't be, could it? I ran towards the figure that was luring me forward.

"Wait!" Raidon called after me. I ignored him. If that really was who I thought it was then I wouldn't have to stay with Raidon and Gina anymore.

I kept chasing after that vague figure through the streets, pushing aside the people in my way. I pissed a lot of people off but I kept running.

"Jun! I know it's you! Stop it's me, Kai!" I yelled. She stopped and turned around.

"Nii-chan..." Jun lurched towards me crying. A touching moment yes, but it was so weird. Jun has never cried before. I never seen her like this before.

"It's alright, I'm here," I said as I hugged her.

"Takahashi-san?" A familiar voice spoke from behind me. I suddenly remember the dream I had in the hospital. I let go of Jun and turned around.

Can you guess who it was?


	5. I Suck So Much It Hurts

"Oh I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else," the girl bowed, her face red from embarrassment.

"A-akashiya-san?" It was definitely her. Did she not recognize me because of the haircut, new glasses and eye patch? Wow now that I think about it, I wouldn't even recognize myself. I just saw her yesterday but for some reason, it feels like its been so long... Was it was because of all the stuff that happened afterwards. Or was because she ran away from me?

"Your scent seems familiar..." Akashiya-san said wistfully.

"Huh?" Um, did she say scent?

"Oh! It's nothing!" she started stuttering.

"Look at Akashiya, trying to seduce another guy," a girl in our school's uniform snickered to her friend, "I bet she's after his money."

Akashiya froze, she looked down. I couldn't see her expression and I didn't want to. How much did it hurt her when people talked about her like this? They were purposely talking loud enough so everyone could hear it.

"Hey, if you're going to talk about someone behind their back can you at least try and conceal your voices?" I snapped at them.

I recognized them now that I looked closely. They were Aki and Sakura. We were all in the same class and I often saw them ripping up Akashiya-san's notes and writing insults on her desk.

"You be careful of Akashiya, she's pretty famous at our school," Aki warned me, it was obvious that she didn't recognize me, "If you hang out with her, your only going to get into trouble. Her eyes aren't even green, those are coloured contacts."

"Just shut up!" I yelled.

"Huh?" Aki looked confused. People around us stopped and watched.

"I heard all those rumours! They aren't true, they're just some retarded crap people came up with!" Dang it, I was letting my temper go again.

"Nii-chan, Can we skip this and go get some food?" Jun had dried her tears and looked like she was back to normal self.

"Oh, sorry Jun, I'll buy lunch but can we bring someone along?" I glanced at Akashiya-san, who was staring at me. In fact, everyone was. Aki and Sakura looked speechless.

"Wow, he doesn't look like the type to explode like that..." People whispered around me.

"Nii-chan, just because I cried once in front of you doesn't mean you should treat me like a little kid," Jun sighed.

"Oh, er, haha... sorry, sorry." Damn, she saw right through me.

"She can come, it doesn't matter," Jun was looking at Akashiya-san with a small smirk.

"Um, Akashiya-san would you like to come with us? To eat?" Why did I add that last bit in there... Ugh, I'm so lame I want to die...

"I'm sorry but I really shouldn't" Akashiya-san started but Jun grabbed her wrist.

"Let's go Nii-chan," Jun said walking forward dragging Akashiya-san off with her.

"Uh, wait up!" I went chasing after them almost tripping on my own feet.

"Nii-chan, I want to eat steak," Jun still had an iron grip on Akashiya-san's wrist. Akashiya-san looked a little unsettled, not surprising since Jun pretty much forced her along.

"Um, Aki-san was right. There's only trouble if you're with me so-Ahh!" Akashiya-san was sharply pulled into a steak house by Jun.

"Jun... do you want to kill my wallet?" I never even gotten to smell this place's steak. This place was so expensive and not to mention you needed reservations. As if on cue, someone asked us if we had any reservations.

"Do you have any reservations?" A waiter suddenly popped out of nowhere.

"No, but do you got any free openings right now?" Jun asked.

I was silently praying there wasn't.

"You are in luck," the waiter smiled.

NO!

"A reservation had just been cancelled," The waiter pulled out three menus from a shelf, "Please follow me."

"You probably got some money from Raidon or Gina. They're loaded so its fine." Jun smiled mischievously.

I did get a credit card but c'mon...

Akashiya-san was oddly quiet as we walked to our table. I hope she didn't think we were kidnapping her or something.

"Please take your time." the waiter walked away still smiling as we all sat down. Akashiya-san sat down together with Jun so I took the other side.

Well, we were already here and I did want to make up to Akashiya-san.

"Akashiya-san please, order something," I smiled. Oh man, I wasn't even going to use my own money to pay for this meal... I'm such a lowlife.

"Are you sure?" Akashiya-san was blushing lightly.  
"O-of course!" She was finally opening up!

"But I don't even know your name..."

Oh crap, I had forgotten she didn't recognize me. I'd better set this straight.

"Don't you remember me Akashiya-san? It's me, Takahashi Kai," I laughed nervously.

"What?" Moka's eyes widened slowly, "Oh, I'm sorry, you just looked so different..."

"Nah it's fine. I'm surprised Jun managed to recognize me though," I laughed. Most of my worries were gone now. Akashiya-san and Jun were here with me where I can keep an eye on them.

"It would be sad if I couldn't Nii-chan, I'm your sister after all," Jun frowned, "I wasn't sure so I had to get you away from Gina and Raidon. But besides that, Nii-chan, why are you wearing an eye patch? Couldn't you get something more practical for your eye?"

"Erm, Raidon and Gina gave this to me along with the glasses and the haircut," I explained.

"Oh." Jun said stiffly.

"They aren't that bad Jun. They're going to give mom and dad money so we won't be a burden to them anymore."

Jun didn't say anything.

"Let's just look at the menu," I had to change the topic. It was awkward to discuss this with Akashiya-san here.

The same waiter returned with water.

"Are you ready to order?" He asked as he skillfully placed the glasses in front of us.

Akashiya-san looked strangely nervous all of a sudden. She was staring at the water as though it was lethal.

"Can we have some more ti-"

"Yes, three filet mignons please," Jun interrupted me.

"Jun, you should let Akashiya-san order for herself," I sighed.

"What are you talking about? They're for me," Jun clicked her tongue at me and sighed, "When did you become so dull Nii-chan?"

I blushed.

Why was she doing this to me in front of Akashiya-san...

The waiter wrote down the order with a small smirk.

"I think I need to go," Akashiya-san said nervously. Why was she so anxious?

"No, don't go," I quickly scanned the menu for the most expensive thing there.

"Two Lobster Tails," I blurted out, "And hurry."

The waiter wrote down the order.

"Of course," he bowed and then walked away.

"Hypocrisy isn't good Nii-chan," Jun shook her head in disapproval.

"I'm sorry Akashiya-san, are you fine with Lobster Tails?" I said trying my best to ignore Jun.

"Ah, yes, I'm fine with lobsters," Akashiya-san hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "I guess I'll have to stay now."

WHOO! VICTORY!

"Please do," I replied grinning. I did it! I got Akashiya-san to stay! This was a big step forward for me.

I was doing a victory dance in my head at this point. Then I caught Jun giving me a tired look. Was she reading my mind?

"I didn't get to ask earlier, but is your eye okay Takahashi-san?" Akashiya-san asked worriedly, "You were injured for my sake and if there's anything I can do, please ask."

She...was...so...kind!

"Oh don't worry its doing great!" I reassured as I reached for my glass of water. I missed and instead knocked it over. It was like slow motion. The cup teetered dangerously on its edge before finally falling.

The water spilled out all over the table.

"You idiot!" Jun yelled standing up. I was frantically grabbing the napkins trying to dry it up. My face felt hot. Why was I screwing things up now?

Akashiya-san winced.

"I'm sorry, I really have to go now!" She jumped over Jun and sprinted out of the restaurant.

"What's her problem?" Jun muttered, "She looked like she's scared of water. Maybe some traumatizing experience? Nii-chan, stop doing that!"

I was knocking my head as hard as I could on the floor repeatedly. Why? Why? Why did I suck so much?

"Jun... Do girls hate getting wet?" I asked after I calmed down. We were sitting back in our seats. Jun had took Akashiya-san's spot in front of me.

"Most of the times. Especially when your clothes are new," Jun took my hand, trying to comfort me, "It's okay Nii-chan. She was way out of your league anyways."

Somehow that didn't make me feel any better.


	6. Back to School

_**Sorry for the wait. You won't believe how busy I was since school started. This year is important since it decides what courses I will take in high school so I can't do as bad as I did last year...**_

_**I edited my past chapters a little, and hope you will enjoy this chap.**_

_**Also, big thx for the advice and reviews. I'll do my best to incorporate most of it into my writing.**_

Sunlight streamed through the curtains, waking me up.

I forced myself to leave my bed and walked into the bathroom. My new room was bigger than I thought it'd be, complete with a bathroom too. I sighed. I enjoyed this feeling. I had a big desk and a wide screen T.V on the wall across from my bed. Three bookshelves filled with books were placed next my desk. Everything was too perfect.

I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked so different. Was I really the same as I was a few days ago? No. I wasn't. I had a new home. I had new parents. I even felt different. I slammed my fist next to the sink in frustration. I didn't like it.

Sorry, you might be wondering what happened after Akashiya-san ran off.

Again.

Well, I got depressed, not to mention the whopping headache I received from hitting my head continually on the floor. Jun tried to make me feel better, but it didn't help me much. One minute later, the waiter came with all the food we ordered. He was really fast but unfortunately it wasn't fast enough. I ended up eating two lobsters. I understood why Jun ordered three servings. Her food was in pretty small portions. We ate and payed the bill.

Right as we left, we ran right into Raidon and Gina. Jun gave them a funny look but she didn't say anything as they led us to the car. Everyone was silent. The car ride was even more awkward. Raidon and Gina both wore steel hard expressions.

Jun and I just looked out the window. We drove into the outskirts of the town before finally arriving at their house. We went through a big, iron bar gate and parked right in front of what looked like a haunted mansion. It was an old style western house with pale walls and black roof tiles. It looked old, but strangely sturdy.

Raidon whipped out a key and inserted it inside and turned. The door creaked a little as it opened. The inside of the house looked a lot better than the outside did. A thick layer of dust lay on the magnificent staircase that lead to the second floor. A crystal chandelier hung from the raised ceiling, illuminating everyone with a bright warm glow.

"Look at all this dust," Gina sighed using a finger to wipe some off the handrail. Raidon brought out a cellphone and pressed in a number before raising it to his ear.

"Eliza, are you still looking for a job? Good, you can be our maid, tell your friend too," Raidon spoke, "Alright, you know where our house is. Come, when you feel like it." He ended the phone call and looked at us. I seem to imagine things too much lately but for a second, his irises flickered to gold. He looked angry. No, that was an understatement. He looked furious. Jun grabbed my arm trembling. My fist unconsciously rolled up into a fist. This was freaking me out, was he going to attack us?

"Calm down," Gina said putting a hand on Raidon's shoulder. His tense shoulder relaxed a little but the fierce expression on his face didn't loosen.

"Raidon!" Gina shouted.

Raidon broke out of his trance but he didn't say anything, instead he just turned around and went out the door, slamming it behind him. Gina stared at the door for a few seconds before climbing up the stairs.

"Come with me, I'll show you your rooms."

Jun and I exchanged looks before following her. Our rooms were right next to each others. Everything was prepared for us. The furniture was nice, and our old possessions were somehow here and in place. It didn't end there, a big bathroom stocked with a hot tub was accessible through the door at the back of the room.

Every kid's dream right? Well, this big house just made me feel lonelier than ever.

So those were last night's events. Raidon hasn't come back as far as I knew. I was pretty confused. I used to think I was pretty smart but I don't understand anything anymore.

Right now, I was getting ready to go to my anger management classes. I had to attend at least ten classes this month. Suddenly, I heard a crash from down stairs. I jumped through my door to see what was going on. Jun came out from next door too. We both peeked over the balcony at the scene that was unfolding below. Raidon seemed to have crashed on through the door. The double doors were laying on the floor, completely busted off the frames. Raidon stood at the doorway completely still. Gina suddenly appeared silently from the kitchen with an expressionless face.

"Kai! Come down here!" Raidon thundered.

I flinched before I climbed down the stairs trembling. Raidon stared down at me with a grim expression. There was no sign of the cheerful carefree man I first met at the hospital. His cold eyes made me feel that he saw things that could drive men insane. I shivered.

"I managed to lift up your suspension," Raidon said, his tone icy, "you don't have to participate in anger management classes either. The whole thing has been over looked by your school board."

I didn't know whether to thank him or fear him. Luckily I didn't have to say anything as Raidon stalked up the stairs and turned the corner.

Gina gave a large sigh and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Come and eat breakfast. I'll give you and Jun a ride to school"

Jun came down the stairs and we all headed into the kitchen.

It was a clean, luxurious kitchen. I could tell all sorts of junk food was stored in the shelves. A large silver fridge stood tall and proud beside the sink. Gina set a variety of side dishes on the table with rice. I picked at my food. I wasn't really in the mood for breakfast.

After eating, we headed off. I had grabbed my back pack before we left. I realized I didn't do any homework I was assigned. Then I thought screw it. Who cared? I missed the past couple days of school so what did it matter?

I watched the scenery pass from the country side into the city life. The sun was rising, mixing brilliant colors of orange, violet, and scarlet in the sky.

I felt my eyes droop. The rumbling of the car was making me drowsing.

I was flying. Somehow, there were a huge set of wings sprouting from my back. They were flapping powerfully, bringing me higher. The skies grew dark and hazy. A voice echoed through the mist. I couldn't make out what it was saying.

"...m...trapped...help...release...me!"

A huge dark clawed hand erupted from the fog tearing me in half.

I gasped and woke up.

"You okay Nii-chan?" Jun looked at me with a concerned face. I felt pale and clammy. For some reason, I felt like my lungs were constricted.

"Yeah... I'm fine," I tried to smile to reassure her but I kept imagining the hand reaching for me. I gulped, wishing I had a cold drink right now to calm me down. The car pulled into the school parking lot, and Gina turned around to face us.

"Have fun at school Kai," she smiled. I felt warm but sickened at the same time.

"Alright," I muttered, opening the door.

"Have fun Nii-chan," Jun hugged me before I left. It felt awkward but I felt some energy come back to me.

"Thanks," I said hugging back.

I turned and faced the school. Today was going to be a long day.

The car drove away and I walked toward the entrance of the school. It was still pretty early so nobody was really around. I put my shoes in the shelf and walked in. The school was strangely silent and empty.

I saw a few teachers but they didn't even give me a glance.

I walked into my homeroom and sat down at my desk in the back. I closed my eyes, remembering my dream. I felt edgy for some reason. All of a sudden I heard a clattering noise. I opened my eyes and saw Akashiya-san at the doorway. She dropped her pencil case, and now our eyes were locked on to each other.

This was my chance! I could apologize to her! Again...

"A-akashiya-san..." I started, "About the other day, I'm sorry. I'm just not used to using one eye yet..."

Akashiya bit her lip looking away.

"Takahashi-san... I've wondering... Would it be alright for me to be selfish?"

I blinked. Selfish? I didn't really understand.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I... always wanted friends. But, I'm different from everyone. If you knew, you'd surely run away," Moka said, "I came to school hoping for an opportunity. I really want to be your friend Takahashi-san. But the school year is almost over, and I've decided to go to a boarding school. I'm going to leave the city for high school Takahashi-san."

I stood slack jawed. My brain couldn't process the information for some reason.

"Wait a second. You're going to leave?" I said hoping she would correct me.

"Yes."

Oh my gosh, it was over before it began.

No.

There was hope.

"What school will you be going to?" Yeah I know, I'm being a stalker, but I just didn't want to leave Akashiya-san alone again. I'm confident about my academics skills that I'll be able to go to any high school.

"I can't tell you, it's a bit classified," Akashiya-san said uncomfortably.

Dang it...

"Then, can we be friends for now?" I asked. Now that I think about it... I sound really _desperate. _

"I'm not sure Takahashi-san..." Akashiya-san looked everywhere but into my eyes. Or rather, eye.

"You asked if you were allowed to be selfish. I don't really understand what you mean, but if you want to be my friend, I would be really honoured," I smiled.

She finally looked straight into my eye.

"Thank you..." she whispered, a small smile forming on her petite face.

I felt my face go red all of a sudden. I really said some stuff that was out of character right then.

"Wow, that is some good drama right there."

Two girls stepped in nonchalantly with knowing grins on their faces.

I gulped when I recognized them. Aki and Sakura. And by the look on their faces, they heard everything.

"So that's Takahashi?" Aki said, "Amazing what a haircut can do."

"He's still nerdy looking," Sakura snickered, "I mean, what's with the eye patch?"

I felt really self conscious right now. Aki and Sakura could do that with anyone. I should punch them! But as crazy as I was, I couldn't punch girls. No matter how mean they were.

"You made big fools of us yesterday," Aki said walking closer to us. I immediately recalled my outburst yesterday. Now where did all that courage go? Why was I scared of two girls?

"It's your fault for speaking bad about Akashiya-san," I said, trying my best not to stutter.

"We were only telling the truth. The truth hurts but what can you do?" Sakura shrugged, "You looked so different that we thought it was some other poor sucker."

I didn't know what to say. I should distract them right? Shake em off from Akashiya-san.

"Look, those rumours are stupid and the people who actually believe them are even more stupid," I retorted, a bit surprised with my own words. I continued, "I'm not going to be stepped on anymore, and neither is Akashiya-san. We're going to take a stand."

I tried my best to stand proud and tall to try and throw them off but they looked at me with brows raised.

"Okay..." they said their mouths twitching to hide a smirk.

I said something really cheesy didn't I?

"Takahashi-san is right," Akashiya-san spoke up bravely, "I will no longer be pushed around."

I could tell she was trying her best to stand up to them but those two girls didn't seem all that intimidated.

"Who's pushing?" Aki said innocently, "If we wanted to push you, we'd do this-" Right after saying that, she roughly shoved Akashiya-san to Sakura, who with a grin pushed shoved her back.

"Looks like you broke your resolution already!" Aki laughed, as Akashiya-san was reduced to a helpless plaything.

"Hey stop!" I shouted trying to stop them. Before I could do anything, Akashiya's figure went limp and she collapsed on the floor.

"Oh crap!" Aki and Sakura gasped as they stared at the unconscious figure. I stopped and looked at Akashiya-san. Then I looked up at Aki and Sakura.

"YOU JERKS!" I jumped at them, and they screamed louder than I thought possible.

"Run! He's crazy!" Sakura shouted and they both pushed me down and bolted out the door.

The desks behind me clattered as I fell. I knocked my head pretty hard too, which wasn't helping me heal my minor concussion. I groaned, but then I remembered Akashiya-san and I got right back up. She was still lying down on the floor, her eyes closed. It was almost like she was sleeping. I found myself staring at her for a moment before I realized that I was doing something really retarded. I picked her up gently as I could. Supporting her on my back, I ran towards the nurse's office.

The door was open but there was nobody inside. So I just let Akashiya-san down onto the bed and pulled up the covers over her. I didn't notice it before but she was looking really pale. I pulled up a chair and sat down. There's gotta be something I can do... Becoming a doctor is my dream right? Well I have to something!

I stared at Akashiya-san as hard as I could hoping that somehow that would help her. Of course that did nothing, it was just me being stupid. Then Akashiya-san shifted a little towards me. Was she reacting to my stare? I drew closer, maybe me staring at her really was helping!

"Smells... good..." Akashiya-san murmured smiling.

I sniffed around but I couldn't smell anything. Frowning, I went back to staring at Akashiya-san but I found that she was getting up.

"Akashiya-san! You should stay down!" I yelled, my voice panicky. She shouldn't get up so soon after fainting. I didn't even know what caused it. Then I noticed her eyes weren't even opened. And she had this weird, dreamy smile on her face.

"Um, Akashiya-san?" I said, unsure if she was awake or not.

"Smells... really good..." Akashiya-san mumbled again. She was getting closer. I sniffed my shirt, it just smelled like fresh laundry. Did she like the detergent Gina used? Hm, I could ask and give her brand, then maybe she could use on her own clothes and not get so uncomfortably close to me. I'm not kidding, she was less then an inch away from my face and I was really tempted to run away. Akashiya-san drew closer...and closer... And then she went and bit my neck.

I was shocked.

Shocked enough that I could only say, "Ow."

I was still and unmoving. I was confused at many factors.

One, Akashiya-san was biting my neck.

Two, she was unconscious and biting my neck.

Three, I'm pretty sure, judging from the fact that I was getting light headed, that she was sucking out my blood.

There are two reasons why she may be doing this.

She's a vampire, or she's just really, really thirsty. Considering I didn't have any water, she went for the only other liquid I had on me; my blood.

After several moments, I felt Akashiya-san suddenly jerk away from me.

"Takahashi-san, I'm so sorry!" She was gulped down, and put a hand to her mouth, as though she was trying to hide it.

I touched my neck. I could feel out two little holes where they shouldn't be. They stung a little, but they were closing fast.

I just stared at her. What would you do if you got your blood sucked out by a girl?

"Um... so h-how's the weather?" I stuttered, looking away. Wow. I need a better way to change the topic.

Akashiya-san gave me a blank look.

"OK, will you mind if I ask what you just did?" I said rubbing my neck.

"I..."


	7. Wari and Gono

"I..." Akashiya-san repeated, looking extremely uncomfortable. Hey, I was uncomfortable too. I couldn't stop rubbing my neck where the little holes were. I felt light headed and a little dizzy. I looked at Akashiya-san and I noticed the colour was back into her face. That was a little strange.

I once again recalled the dream I had in the hospital. The girl I saw in the dream was incredibly scary, but she seemed sad, just like Akashiya-san. She had commented on how humans were scum and it was obvious she wasn't human herself. There was another thing bugging me. Why did Akashiya-san's silver cross appear in my dream? I flexed my hand, remembering how it felt so snug in my fingers. I gazed at it where it was resting on Akashiya-san's chest. I never saw her without it. It was obviously a important keepsake of hers. It looked really valuable too.

"Takahashi-san, where are you looking?" Akashiya-san broke me out of my trance. I raised my eyes to her face and saw that she was slightly blushing. I looked down to her cross again and my mouth opened in horror. It totally looked like I was staring at her chest.

"I wasn't looking at your chest!" I blurted out. Akashiya-san looked at me frowning, her face getting even redder.

Maybe I shouldn't have denied it like that.

"Could it be that you were looking at my rosary?" Akashiya-san asked me.

Oh so it was called a rosary.

"Yeah, can I take a closer look at it?" I wanted to see if it felt the same way it did in my dream.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Takahashi-san," Akashiya-san said glancing uneasily at the rosary, "I should never take it off."

"Huh? Why?" That was weird, was she afraid that she would lose it? I felt a bit sad that I wasn't trusted enough yet.

"Something bad will happen if it's taken off," Akashiya-san's vague answer just made me even more curious.

"What do you-"

The bell rudely interrupted me, and we both jumped at the sound.

"Time for class," Akashiya-san said cheerfully and she rushed out of the nurse's office.

It was then that I realized that none of my questions were really answered.

Class was complete torture. Usually, I would be at complete attention, taking notes on every word I caught from the teacher. Right now, I was deep in my thoughts and theory on Akashiya-san. Not to mention the fact that my classmates kept stealing glances at me, whispering to each other. I could tell they were deciding if the rumour about me beating up two students were true or not. I still looked weak, and defenceless, so I bet they were brushing off the rumours. Now if only they were smart enough to figure it out with the rumours about Akashiya-san.

Wari and Gono were looking at me too. I kind of felt bad for them, so I decided to tell them later on what happened. Excluding the parts that went into too much detail with Akashiya-san. It wasn't that I was ashamed of her being my friend. No, I was over that. I just thought it was kind of private, you know?

I saw the teacher giving me looks too. She was one of the teacher running out to stop me so it's kind of awkward. I could tell by her expression that she was thinking along the lines of, 'why the heck is this violent kid still in my class?'

So, with all these distracting factors, I came up with all my theories of the mysterious Akashiya Moka.

Theory One: She belonged to a religious cult that believed in drinking blood and wearing rosaries.

Theory Two: She had special condition where her body can't produce enough blood so she has a system where she drinks blood to restore help her body. Unlikely but who knows? The rosary could be a keepsake she got from a family member.

Theory Three: I'm still working on it.

It would be great if I could just go on some questions website and ask 'a girl just bit my neck and sucked my blood. What do I do?'

When class was over, I went over to Akashiya-san planning to confront her.

Unfortunately, I got swarmed by Wari and Gono.

"Kai! The craziest rumours have been going around about you!" Wari shouted right into my ear, "Nice haircut by the way."

Wari is loud and impatient. He's also a perfectionist who's is never happy with anything. He isn't even happy when he scores perfectly on his test. He wears heavy, thick glasses that always slide to the tip of his nose. He attempted a different look this year by dying the ends of his hair blond, but in the end, it just made him look kind of stupid. Gono stood behind him silent. Gono also wears thick glasses but it doesn't really suit him. He has a buzz cut and he's a pretty tall guy. We always wonder why he hangs out with us cause he's not even that nerdy but he's super shy. Whenever he's around anyone else, he just goes into hibernation mode and he doesn't even move. I kicked him before when he was in the mode, and he didn't even budge.

"Yeah, can you tell what the rumours say about me?" You can never tell how people interpret things. I don't want to confirm that I was the one harassing Akashiya-san or something.

"The rumours are that you, Takahashi Kai went on a psycho-path rampage and totally beat up Yoshi and Kitamura," Wari informed, adjusting his glasses, "But it can't be true. I've known you for almost three years and no offence but you're a wimp."

"Thanks..." I sighed.

"That's not the only thing," Wari continued to analyze the rumours, "There is no way that you would be here if you really did beat them up. The school would have either expelled you or suspended you. The only thing that gets me is that Yoshi and Kitamura came to school with bandages. And that there are eye witnesses. The teachers are being suspicious too. Okay, okay and there's the fact that you also missed school..." Wari went on, and I tried to zone him out. He tended to go into unnecessary details. I looked at Gono, who was looking at me with a calm gaze. We patiently waited for Wari to finish up.

"...okay I'm done, you can give your explanation now." Wari concluded.

"Many things happened you guys. I don't know if I can explain it all in the time we have, class is going to start again soon," I said.

"Alright, at least confirm that the rumours aren't true," Wari sighed.

"Yeah. The rumours are true. I broke Kitamura's nose and some of the fingers on Yoshi's right hand," I said warily. I felt really tired right now. I didn't want to explain everything later. I just wanted to know what the heck Akashiya-san was. I didn't expect waves of gasps and shocked expressions of my classmates to be sent my way when I confirmed it.

"Aw dang it!" I yelled frustrated. I should have known the classroom was way too quiet. Everyone was eavesdropping on our conversation. They stared at me for a moment before whispering furiously to their friends.

"Holy sh- That nerd beat up Kitamura and Yoshi?"

"I guess our honour student is turning rogue."

"Why is he here? This is school is so messed up, why didn't they suspend him?"

"Dang it!" I repeated to myself. I didn't want this to happen. Wari was still staring at me. Gono just looked impassive and Akashiya-san was glancing at me looking a bit worried.

The teacher walked in and the whisperings abruptly stopped. Class started and the torture continued.

After three hours of more torture, it was finally lunch. A flame of hope burned brightly in me as I jogged over to Akashiya-san's desk.

"Aka-"

"Kai! Let's go eat lunch!"

I turned to Wari, who happily dragged me away from Akashiya-san.

"Wari! I'm a little busy, can't we just meet up later?" I frowned, annoyed.

"No, I want to hear your explanation now," Wari continued to drag me outside.

Seriously, do you have friends who this to you? I felt so frustrated with Wari that I was sorely tempted to kick him and run.

And so, we ended up sitting at the big oak tree where Akashiya-san was shunned two and a half years ago. How ironic is it that we kept eating here all this time?

"OK, go," Wari said when we sat down with our lunches in our laps.

I ignored him and stared at the bento that Gina packed for me. I felt a pang of sadness right then. This may sound kind of wimpy but I'm only fourteen. I miss my mom. Not the replacement I had. It was ridiculous that I wasn't even allowed a good-bye or a visit. Now that I think about it... my surname isn't even Takahashi anymore. I blinked in shock.

I was Ryuu Kai.

I mashed my teeth together, angry at the very thought. My sister wasn't a Takahashi Jun either. She was Ryuu Jun.

Oh my gosh, this was so screwed up.

"Kai! Are you with us!" Wari yelled, poking me with his chopsticks.

"Yes, I am with you," I replied rolling my eyes. Let's get this long story over with.

"Alright, this is basically what happened. I saw two guys molest Akashiya-san. No one was doing anything about it, I got mad, I fought them, and they fought back. I lost an eye, they broke some body parts. Then I got knocked out, and the next thing I know I'm in a hospital bed. End of story."

Wari and Gono just sat there, chewing slowly on their lunches, deep in thought. At least, that's what it looked like. I scratched my head at the silence. I expected Wari to scream out at the lack of details or something, maybe even accuse me of lying. I don't think it was believable that I could take on two guys my age. Especially if you consider the fact that I totally suck with athletic activities.

"Kai," Wari finally spoke, "You idiot."

I was offended at that remark. Sure I haven't been my usual self lately but I'm sure that I haven't become a total idiot. At least, not yet.

"Alright. Tell me why I'm an idiot," I set down my ignored bento and crossed my arms.

"You beat up two guys for _Akashiya_?" Wari said exasperatedly, "It could have been any other girl but it had to be Akashiya. Not only that, what kind of fool takes on two guys, especially Yoshi and Kitamura? Don't you know they're part of a gang? It's not just any gang either, it's the gang with that dude... Uh, i forget his name but he's famous in the underground for his amazing strength. And you lost your _eye_? For _Akashiya_? That is the craziest thing I have ever heard in my entire life. That girl is poison, why are you getting involved with her of all times?"

"What's so important now?" I asked, raising a brow. I was trying to think about any important events that were coming but my mind was blank.

"What is wrong with you?" Wari placed his hands on my shoulders and shook me, as if it would bring me to my senses, "Suzuki Yumi's big birthday party is coming up! Don't you know that everyone in our class but Akashiya-san was invited?"

Suzuki Yumi is the richest girl in the entire school. It's pretty obvious that she is popular and beautiful too. This year, she's throwing her biggest party yet and she inviting everyone in her class.

I don't like her.

She told Akashiya-san personally that she wasn't invited in front of the entire class. I would being lying if I said I wasn't excited when I heard that I was going to the party but I completely forgot about that party now.

So I responded a little dully to Wari, "Oh yeah..."

Wari stopped shaking me and shook his head while sighing, "Kai, let me spell this out for you since you seem to have dumbed down a bit when you got hit on the head. If you befriend Akashiya-san, you will not be allowed into the party. If you aren't allowed into the party, as your friends, we won't be allowed into the party. Do you understand?"

I closed my eyes. It was no doubt to me that I didn't want to go if Akashiya-san wasn't there. It wasn't simple as that though. Suzuki is the spoiled type that gets everything she wants. Her saying Akashiya-san wasn't invited has a underlying message which is: if you're Akashiya's friend, you can't come. If you are friends with Akashiya's friend, you can't come either. In other words, any relation to her means a cut from the party.

As much as annoying Wari was right now, he was one of the few friends I had. Gono included. Could I be so selfish to stop them from going to biggest social gatherings of the year?

My head ached from all these complications. Wouldn't it be awesome if you could just stop time? You could think as much as you wanted in a fabric where time didn't move. You'd have all the time you'd ever want.

But time was ticking. When I opened my eyes, Wari was still there, staring at me, his eyes begging for an answer. So I gave him one.

"I understand Wari. I don't care about the party anymore though. But I don't want to keep you from going, so just tell everyone that you guys aren't my friends anymore," I took his hands off my shoulders, and grabbed up my lunch, "I'm going to find Akashiya-san. Bye."

Wari and Gono stared at me disbelievingly as I walked off.

Alright, I know what you're thinking. That I'm a selfish, friend ditching, retarded bastard. And if you're not the one thinking that, I am.

I felt so guilty, I wanted to turn my heel and apologize to them.

But I had a clear image in my head. I had two paths before me. To my right, there was the easy, less mountainous path, with Gono and Wari smiling and waving at me.

To my left, there was a long, ragged, dark path where Akashiya-san was crying.

I decided a long time ago that I was help Akashiya-san. I had to harden my resolution when I realized it would cost me the two friends that I had.

Tell me, did I make the right choice?

I found Akashiya-san outside sitting on a bench in front of the school. She was drinking tomato juice from a can.

"Hey, Akashiya-san? Can we talk?" I asked her, sitting beside her on the bench.

She looked at me, smiling softly.

"Okay, Takahashi-san."

"Erm, we are friends right?" I started fiddling with my hands nervously. Wari and Gono were pushed to the back of my mind.

"I think we are," she answered after a moment of silence.

I felt myself grinning. I tried to fight it but it was like my spirit was lifting with those four words.

"Alright Akashiya-san. Let's call each other without the -san," I suggested.

Akashiya-san, er I mean Akashiya looked surprised by my notion.

"Takahashi," she murmured, blushing.

My spirit was floating higher and higher but then I plummeted back to the earth when I realized one simple fact.

I was no longer Takahashi Kai.

"Crap!" I shouted, causing Akashiya to jump.

"Akashiya, can I ask you to call me by my first name?" I didn't want to ever be called Ryuu by anyone.

"Eh? Why?" she asked me puzzled. Maybe I was moving too fast. I wasn't even explaining why I didn't want her to call me Takahashi.

"Er, well..." I scratched the back of my head, thinking of a way for me to explain without having to reveal anything too personal.

"Kai..." Akashiya mumbled. I stared at her. It was barely loud enough for me to hear her but there was no mistake. She called me by my first name.

"Can you call me by my first name as well?"

Something clicked. Euphoria leaked all over my brain as I became so elated, I swear I felt like I was hovering above the ground.

"Of course!" I answered much louder than necessary. But M-moka just smiled.

Moka... oh how sweet the sound.

I wanted to ask about the blood sucking thing that happened this morning but I guess I shouldn't get too greedy.

Here comes the damper of the day. While we were talking all happy, and unaware, a tall figure approached us.

I only noticed him when he came right in front of us. He was pretty tall, and he looked a bit buff too. There were multiple piercings on his ears and lip and his hair was slicked back. He was wearing a collared jacket with a fang emblem at the back. I could tell immediately that he was from a gang.

"Hey, are you Takahashi Kai?" he smiled nastily and I felt chills go up my spine.

"Yeah, I think so," the happiness I was feeling was slowly being replaced with fear. What was this guy doing here? Moka and I stood up.

Without a warning, he punched the bench behind us and it pretty much disintegrated into pieces. My jaw dropped.

He just smirked, cracking his knuckles.  
"You hurt two of my underlings so I'm here to get even. I wouldn't give a crap about them but I was promised a beauty," he checked Moka, a approving growl rumbled from his throat, "and this is quite the beauty. Let's get to know each other better after this."

How sickening was that? This jerk was going to take Moka after he killed me.

The stranger let his long tongue slide out like a snake's, still grinning, he introduced himself.

"My name is Saizou Komiya and it's time for you to meet your maker."


End file.
